


Little Scientist

by 1FrozenRutabaga



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Family Bonding, Fluff, Gen, One Shot, i just wanted some family bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 21:51:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18819721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1FrozenRutabaga/pseuds/1FrozenRutabaga
Summary: A nickname Rick came up with for Morty as a baby comes back years later.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I made this like a million years ago. I just wanted some Rick and Morty family bonding. I don't write these guys as much as I'd like to; writing Rick is pretty hard for me, so he's a little OOC. Anyway, here's this fossil of a fic.

Rick stepped into the nursery from the portal. He didn't need to worry about waking anyone, seeing as how Beth and Jerry were out on a date and Summer was at a slumber party. He was a little peeved that the babysitter had upped and left, but at least Rick wouldn't have to tranquilize a teenager. He had checked on Beth and Jerry from afar a few minutes ago, and there wasn't any need to rush himself. 

A coo came from the crib in front of him.

“Hey, little buddy,” Rick greeted with a big grin as the portal closed behind him. "Guess who it is."

Morty's bored expression lit up the moment Rick came into view. He started cooing, reaching for Rick with his tiny hands. The old man chuckled. The kid loved seeing him.

“How’s my little-little buddy been doing?” the scientist asked as he reached and lifted Morty from the crib. He noted that the kid's onesie was space-themed.

Morty let out a happy cry and threw up his arms. Rick couldn’t stop the smile when the baby leaned forward and snuggled against his neck. He had learned real quick that Morty was a cuddler. All babies were, yeah, but Morty was pretty much like velcro. Usually Rick wouldn't like it, having something else touch him, but Morty was an exception. Plus he didn't want to test the waters of a screaming baby in the middle of the night. It wasn't something he liked to repeat.

“Hey, Morty.” Rick brought the boy back. “Wan-wanna see a trick?” 

The cinnamon eyes lit up when Rick burped on command. Morty let out happy squeals of laughter, flailing in that dumb way babies did.

“Best joke in the book,” the man snickered. He then brought up his other hand and smoothed down the tuft of brown hair. “You hungry? I got some mad stuff from another dimension.”

Morty was pretty light, and Rick was not satisfied with how Beth and Jerry were feeding him. They were following some kind of diet that was complete bullshit, which he would expose right after he put Morty back to bed. He loved his daughter, but she had proven that she wasn’t exactly the brightest bulb when she married Jerry. He would think she would wise up at the second kid.

“This, little guy, is from the Nugget Dimension,” Rick informed as he set down a bottle in front of Morty, who he had sat on the couch. “This right here is made of nu-nuggets, but it’s also not. It tastes like a nugget, but it’s not a nugget. Get what I’m saying?”

Morty seemed pretty excited about it. He let out rapid cooing noises, his hands clumsily grabbing at it. Rick rolled his eyes, because Morty could barely be trusted with a bottle. “Alright, let’s test this shit out.”

Rick was pretty content with sitting on the couch while Morty sucked down his meal, the TV flickering with random bullshit he was honestly not paying attention to. His eyes kept flickering back to Morty, who was happily drinking his milk and his warm little hands on Rick’s cool one.

God, he loved this kid. Yeah, he liked Summer, but he couldn’t do this with kind of stuff with her for obvious reasons. Morty wasn’t only a baby, he was also obedient; smart. The kid wouldn’t blab to Beth when he got older, Rick was sure of it. There would be a time where Rick wouldn't be able to visit him anymore, but that was pretty far away. For now, he could enjoy spending time with his grandson.

“I guess I should get you m-more of that shit next time I come over, huh?” Rick raised his brow as he pulled away the empty bottle away.

Morty’s response was a loud, “UHP!”

Rick threw back his head and laughed. Already showing signs that some of him had made it in there through Beth. He ruffled the chocolaty tuft, smiling proudly as Morty let out giggles at his accomplishment. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Morty was pretty content to just sit on his grandfather’s lap and watch TV with him. Sometimes he’d get distracted and bunch up Rick’s shirt, but the old man didn’t mind. Sitting on the couch, rubbing his grandson’s back while they watched TV was something Rick wouldn’t trade for the world. He didn’t even need a drink from his flask. It was so...normal, and so weird.

A quick glance down had Rick letting out an alarmed yelp. Morty had pulled his portal gun out of his pocket. How the hell had the kid gotten that without him noticing?

“No, no, Morty,” Rick said, carefully taking back the device without upsetting the boy. At Morty’s face, he went on. “This is dangerous. Bad. You-you know that word, right?”

The cinnamon eyes followed the device. The kid was obviously not convinced. Rick let out a sigh. It looked like he needed a bit more evidence.

“This is how grandpa gets here,” the man explained. He knew Morty couldn’t understand him, but Rick didn’t really have anyone to ramble to about his portal gun. “You know that _big_ circle I come out of in your room? That’s in here.” He patted the gun.

Rick lifted the gun and pulled the trigger. A portal appeared in front of the TV, mixing with various shades of green and black. Not the prettiest thing, but it was interesting to Morty. The baby was staring with wide eyes, completely still on his grandpa’s lap.

“Ye-up,” Rick breathed. “And when I do this…” He trailed off, pressing the button just beside the trigger. The portal disappeared. “The portal goes away. Simple.”

Morty blinked owlishly. His gaze then looked to his right where something caught his eye. Rick raised his brow when the baby leaned over and picked up the TV remote, waving it gently.

“Pa…” Morty got out. Rick’s eyes widened. Holy shit, the kid was already trying to talk! “Pa-le.”

The old man grinned, sapphire eyes sparkling. “Yeah, Morty. Poor-tal,” he sounded it out.

“Pa-le,” the baby repeated. He wasn’t at that level of speech yet.

Rick didn’t mind. He just grinned even wider and ruffled Morty’s hair. “You’re so smart,” he praised. “M-maybe you’ll be a genius like grandpa when you get older. That’d be kickass to have a little scientist with me.”

Morty smiled and waved the remote more. “Pa-le, pa-le!” he crowed.

“One day I’ll take you through one, little scientist,” Rick promised. “When you’re older.”

After he got Morty to sacrifice him the remote, they went back to watching TV. Only now Rick was in a much, much better mood than the one before, his mind replaying his grandson trying to copy his actions and words. He couldn't stop smiling.

He glanced up at the clock an hour later. Beth and Jerry would be home in ten minutes. Rick let out a sigh. He hated leaving, but it wasn’t the time to come back into Beth’s life yet. Morty was yawning a lot, too, which was making Rick yawn. Manipulative little shit.

“Alright, buddy,” Rick began. He secured Morty and stood, stretching his back and shoulders a little. “Time for bed again.”

The trek up the stairs had somehow lulled Morty into a doze. Rick had been absently rubbing the small back, stopping when he got to Morty’s room. He walked over to the crib and gently placed the child into it, drawing the tiny star blanket up to his little chest.

“Night, Morty,” Rick murmured. “I’ll see you in a few days.”

Morty’s response was a soft snore. It was kind of gross-sounding, but funny. Rick smiled. He withdrew his portal gun and shot it at the wall. Morty didn’t even twitch at the light or sound.

_“Pa-le, pa-le!”_

Could the kid get any cuter?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Rick can be a pain in the ass sometimes.

“Hey-hey, Rick?” Morty called through the door to the garage, knocking softly. “Can I come in?”

“Sure,” his grandpa responded. “Whatever.”

Morty opened the door enough for him to slide through before gently kicking it closed with his foot. His hands were clasped tightly behind his back, which was also pressed up against the door.

Rick didn’t look up from the workbench. Instead he growled and tossed the screwdriver. “Goddamn it.”

“W-w-what is it?” Morty glanced over Rick’s shoulder.

“I don’t, URP, know, M-Morty; what was bro-broken yesterday?” Rick rolled his eyes.

Morty wilted. Of course Rick was still working on the portal gun. “I-is the portal gun a loss?”

“Probably,” the man shrugged. “I’m just gonna scrap it for the next one.”

The teen shuffled. He still felt guilty about the portal gun. Falling at a high speed through a portal, Rick landing on his workbench and Morty narrowly missing the shelf, Morty blamed himself for breaking it, “How long will it take for you to m-m-make a new one?” he asked.

Rick shrugged again. “About a week,” he responded. It wasn’t as hard as everyone thought it was. He then spun around in his chair. He instantly noticed Morty’s posture. “That, URP, better not be anything that you k-know will annoy me.”

Morty looked sheepish now. “Rick, I-I’ve been working on s-something for a while that I w-w-wanted to show you.”

The old man raised his brow. “What, did you paint a picture or some-something?”

The boy shook his head. He then took his hands out from behind his back. In his hands what looked to be an orange can with white swirls attached to a grey handle with the round end holding the can. It was pretty big compared to Morty’s hands, both of them being needed to present it on its side, but to Rick it looked to be the size of a modern TV remote.

Rick was pretty interested in whatever this was. “What is it?” he asked, honestly curious.

Morty looked nervous. “Can I show you first?”

The young teen stood in the middle of the room. Morty brought it up and aimed it at the garage door. He pulled the trigger, and a small ball the size of a dilated pupil shot forward and expanded. The portal was a mixture of pink and orange, its height reaching to the ceiling as it stuck to the garage door.

Rick gaped. He stood from his chair and walked over to Morty, staring at the portal in complete awe.

“I-I made a p-portal gun,” Morty said, finding himself beginning to grow a bit nervous at his grandfather’s silence. “The handle’s from m-mom’s old hairdryer and a nut. I f-f-found the can and painted it. I-I-I’ve tested it with some fruit, too. It works alright.” He looked up, cinnamon eyes shining with anticipation. “Do you like it?”

A huge grin suddenly erupted on Rick’s face. He let out a loud, barking laugh and scooped Morty up, earning a squeak in alarm. The old man was holding him close to his chest in a tight hug. “Morty, you’re a fucking genius!’ Rick yelled. His sapphire eyes were sparkling. “Of course I love it! Holy shit!”

Morty smiled widely. He felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment as he was swung around, but he had never seen Rick this incredibly happy before. It was a literal blue moon moment happening.

“You made your own fucking portal gun!” Rick cried triumphantly. “This-this is amazing, Morty! You made it from a bunch of junk and got it to work! That’s fucking incredible!”

The teen felt a bit dizzy when Rick finally stopped spinning, but he was smiling all the while. Rick was holding onto him so tight that he didn't need to worry about being dropped.

“My fucking grandson made his own portal gun without needing school!” Rick shouted at the ceiling, grinning like a madman. “Eat shit, universe! School’s for losers!”

Morty couldn’t stop the laugh. He was grinning as well, his cheeks glowing with relief. For a second there he thought that Rick would tell him he didn’t like it.

The teen was finally placed on the ground. Rick was on his knees and his hands on Morty’s shoulders. His sapphire eyes were practically glowing with pride. “I’m so fucking proud of you,” he said.

Morty felt his eyes burn. Hearing that sentence made his throat close up and his heart tingly. He held the portal gun close to his chest tightly.

“Hey, relax, buddy,” Rick soothed. “That’s supposed to be a compliment.”

“I k-k-know,” Morty sniffled, wiping at his eyes.

The old man huffed. He then abruptly pulled the teenager in for a hug, rolling his eyes despite the grin. “You little turd. When did you even make that?”

Morty hugged his grandfather back, the portal gun resting on the man’s back. “A l-little after you showed me yours,” He admitted.

Rick couldn’t stop the warm glow in his chest. “I never even showed you the formula,” he said as he pulled the teen back. “Did you make your own?”

Morty nodded. Then a smirk appeared on his face. “I don’t remember doing it, but it’s suspiciously in code.”

Rick grinned and ruffled the chocolate locks. “That’s my little scientist.” 

The cinnamon eyes beamed, Morty’s face the picture of happiness. He had _impressed_ Rick. Rick, the guy that could give two shits about anything but alcohol and drugs. He had made Rick _proud_ of him.

The old man looked back to the portal. It was still open and swirling. “You said you used fruit, right?”

The younger nodded. “I-it’s safe,” Morty said. He then frowned and looked down at the device. “I-i-it doesn’t go really far. The most it can do is get you to another side of a wall or w-w-whatever. It got me out of my room and to the r-road when it turned up the p-power before it needed to charge again.”

Rick stood, his hand going back to ruffle the child’s hair. “That’s pretty kickass, Morty. It-it-it gets you somewhere, that counts for something. Plus that’s what science is for. Can’t get everything perfect on the first try.”

Morty looked surprised when he gazed up at Rick. “W-w-was that the same for you?”

“Of course,” Rick shrugged nonchalantly. He could admit something like that to his grandson. “I’m a genius, Morty, obviously, but my shit hasn’t always been perfect. It took a while before I actually got mine to work.”

The boy felt a little better at that. He had extremely disappointed when he found he could only go through other surfaces with it and not another dimension like Rick’s did. He had even debated on not showing the older man his device at all, but he did want to cheer Rick up for breaking his portal gun.

“Besides, that’s actually pretty useful,” Rick went on as he looked at the swirling circle. He then looked down at Morty. “Tell you what? I’ll help you tweak it a little, we’ll see how far we can go with it, and then we’ll keep it as a spare while you show me how you made it.”

Morty’s eyes shined like chocolates. “Really?” he squeaked. “T-t-that’d be awesome, Rick!”

Rick smiled brightly down at the kid. Then his eyes widened. “Morty, I’ve got an idea. Go get some fruit from the fridge."

"Why fruit?"

"You'll see."

\- - - - -

“Honey!” Jerry yelled. “Come here!”

Beth strolled into the living room. “What is it?”

“Look!” the man pointed at the TV.

The blonde looked in her husband’s direction. Sitting on the top of the TV was an orange. There wasn’t anything off about it either. It was just an orange on top of the TV.

“An orange,” Beth stated. She then glanced at Jerry with a confused expression. “And…?”

“What?!” Jerry gaped. “Haven’t you noticed the random fruit everywhere?! This is the sixth one I’ve seen in a row!”

Beth raised an eyebrow. “Jerry, this is the first time I’m seeing a fruit outside of the fridge.”

He stammered over his sentence before his mind fixed itself. “W-w-well, maybe Summer will back me up,” he finally said. He then turned his head. “Summer!”

“What?” she shouted back from her room.

“Have you been seeing fruit around the house?”

“Minus you, no!”

Beth couldn’t stop the snicker. Jerry just glared at the stairs.

“Now that that’s sorted out, I’m going to go back to making lunch,” the blonde said, turning on her heel.

“B-but-!” Jerry started.

Beth looked back at him pityingly. “Honey, even though it’s weird, it’s just fruit.” She then went back to her trek to the kitchen.

Jerry looked longingly after her, then his eyes hardened: Rick. Rick had to be the one screwing with him. He marched over to the TV before he turned his gaze back to it, his eyes widening when he saw that it was now gone.

Something suddenly hit his head. Jerry let out a yelp and rubbed the top of his scalp before looking down. The orange was now on the floor by his foot. The man looked up to see where it had fallen from, but there was nothing but the ceiling.

_“What the hell is going on?!”_

In the garage, Rick and Morty were snickering with their portal guns in hand and a bowl of fruit sitting on the workbench.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not too realistic, I know, but just a cute little idea I thought about after I got into the show.


End file.
